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EPA rule not such a boon for nuclear after all -- utilities

Jean Chemnick, E&E reporter

Published: Friday, August 8, 2014

U.S. EPA's greenhouse gas proposal for existing power plants doesn't do enough to boost nuclear energy, advocates for the industry say. Two months after EPA unveiled the proposal -- and just over two months before the end of the public comment period -- companies that have invested billions of dollars in the United States' primary source of zero-carbon baseload energy say they are still reviewing the draft. But while the industry has yet to reach a consensus position, some utilities say they are discouraged by the way the June 2 proposal treats new nuclear projects that are coming online or attempts to help existing facilities overcome the economic factors that threaten them with retirement.